FREEDOM IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY

It had come a time where Hani was again questioning her place in the pack. She had met several members, and yet they all seemed related. Was she possibly the only one left out of the loop? Did all these wolves really believe they came from the gods? If they were wrong, Hani thought, it would mean each were, in some form, mad. If they were right, however, then why were they here? What was their purpose and mission? Helios and Natalya had told her they were an empire, that they were going to get more land, more members, but none of that had happened. Of course there was the plague and Hermes's death, but nothing pointed to any kinds of god for Hani. She was in the obvious minority, though, and kept quiet about it. Part of her really wanted to believe, but another part of her just wanted to forget about these wolves and leave. She couldn't, though, not with her feeling of loyalty and friendship to Natalya.
Natalya and Hani hadn't spoken since Hermes passed, and Hani could't make herself approach the woman. She had always thought of Natalya as the strong alpha of the pack, but with her losing her son, Hani wasn't sure what she would do. Hani was also surprised when another member called the meeting. Cpould she do that? Hani had thought only Helios and Natalya could, but Hani had gone to the meeting regardless. Her thoughts and doubts cleared when she approached, staying at a distance and nodding once in greeting for everyone, not taking note of who all was there. When Hani saw Natalya, her heart broke a bit, and the girl couldn't help but stare for a moment, wishing she could do anything to help the woman who had been her mentor and friend. Realizing she couldn't, though, Hani's gaze hit the ground. It was like she was all alone again, and she was sure Natalya felt the same way, but for different reasons. Hani didn't feel like being at a meeting. Why was there a meeting?

"Speech"